Gargish Mutants
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: Did you know that the Mutants of Plun-Darr have their own virtue system, and that it's the same as the virtue system for a race of intelligent Gargoyles that live on the other side of Britannia? The Mutants and Gargoyles believe in Singularity. Slight OOC from the Mutants.


**A/N: **The Mutants may be a little OOC in this story, but I thought recently of this great idea of what it would be like if the three factions of _ThunderCats_ each had their own virtue system, like they show in the _Ultima_ computer games, and how it would affect their societies. I associate the Mutants with the Gargoyle Virtues because the Mutants and the Gargoyles are both like beasts, and they both seem like the kinds of people that would bear such virtues as these. I also plan on writing short stories about the Lunataks and the Ophidian Virtues, as well as the ThunderCats and the Eight Virtues of Avatarhood, so stay tuned.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _ThunderCats_ or _Ultima_. Rankin/Bass and Warner Bros. own the former, and Richard Garriott (Lord British) and Origin own the latter.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Gargish Mutants<span>**

Virtue is the key to living a spiritual life, they say. And to a certain extent, even I agree with that. The ThunderCats think that they're the only ones out of the three major factions on Third Earth who have a system of virtues. Well, they're wrong. The Mutants of Plun-Darr also have our own virtue system, and while we may not be as warm people as the ThunderCats towards other life forms, we still have our own code of ethics, and ancestors of ours called Slithe the Reptilian, Monkain the Ape Man, and Jackalman the Jackal Man discovered them when they accidently came upon a mysterious world whose proper name was unpronounceable. We simply knew it as the Realm of the Gargoyles.

In those days, the Mutants lived wild and crazy, and had no direction in life. But Slithe, Monkian and Jackalman were dissatisfied with the lack of direction of the Mutants, because it was earning them no victories in their wars against any of their enemies, and so they chose to search for answers among the stars. And one day, after months of searching and finding no solid answers, fate brought them to the Realm of the Gargoyles. Here, the Gargoyles, a strong, intelligent, sentient race which superficially resembles the popularized vision of demons, didn't immediately welcome them with open arms, for the Gargoyles were a cautious and wary race that survived in a harsh world, and the Mutants were a similar people. But Slithe, Monkian and Jackalman came in peace, unlike what they normally did, and accepted the Amulet of Submission from Valkadesh the scholar, surrendering themselves to their ruler, Lord Draxinusom.

There, they told the Gargoyle king about how their race, the Mutants of Plun-Darr, was a race of barbarians and warriors who fought wars on a regular basis with each other, as well as with other races in the galaxy, and that we were aimless in how to find direction in our lives. Draxinusom stood up from his throne just then, and directed the three of them to the wisest of the Gargoyles Seers, Naxatilor, who was reputed to have recovered an artifact of mystic knowledge called the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom from the Ethereal Void, and brought it to his world for his people to use. Naxalitor told them that they must visit the Shrine of Singularity high in the air to discover the hidden truths that the Gargoyles lived by, and mentioned that their set of virtues may be the answer to the Mutants' problems, since the Mutants, too, live in a harsh world and face many perils, as well as presenting perils to others.

They took their spaceship to the mountain where the Shrine of Singularity was, and the altar spoke in a disembodied voice that they cannot learn the Virtues of the Gargoyles until they learn something about the Gargoyles themselves first. It said that they should go to the Shrines of Control, Passion, and Diligence, the three principles that were the source of the Gargish Virtues. So they did. The spirit of a mighty, evil wizard dwelt at the Shrine of Control, and his name was Mondain.

"The Gargoyles enshrined me here as the embodiment of Control," he said. "Control was the essence of my soul – control of self and control of others. But the desire for more control overcame me. I forsook my self-control in exchange for conquest. Control must start with the self and expand outward. Contemplate what thou hast learned and repeat the Mantra of Control with me…UN…UN…UN…"

Monkian understood that he needed this piece of advice the most, being the most hyperactive of the Mutant warriors, not to mention the leader of an equally hyperactive race of Simians. He started to chant the Mantra, even though Mutants weren't accustomed to humming mantras normally.

Then, they went to the Shrine of Passion, where there was the statue and spirit of a deadly-looking sorceress named Minax, who, as it turned out, was once Mondain's apprentice. She said:

"The Gargoyles enshrined my spirit here as the embodiment of Passion. Passion was the essence of my soul. But that passion knew no bounds. I wanted everything, and because of this I strove to conquer all. Passion must be directed, focused. Unbridled passion leads to chaos. The Gargoyles understand passion. Their society is based on the passion leading those who lack motivation. Contemplate what thou hast learned. Repeat after me the Mantra of Passion…OR…OR…OR…"

Slithe was the Mutant who chanted this Mantra. The Reptilians certainly needed passion to be leaders in the Mutant society, and his passion was what had held together his little group, despite all the times they had all broken ranks with each other. Perhaps because they broke ranks was because they lacked motivation all the time.

Next, they went to the Shrine of Diligence, where a strange, ugly, monster-like head made of stone was staring at them blankly. The voice from within introduced itself as Exodus, and it spoke to them:

"The Gargoyles have enshrined my spirit here as the embodiment of Diligence. Diligence was the essence of my soul – cold, unswerving diligence in my path of conquest. But in my devotion to achievement I lost sight of my original goals. Diligence without a goal is as worthless as a goal without diligence. The means cannot replace the end, and diligence cannot be the goal. The Gargoyle society is based on the diligent leading the wayward. Repeat after me the Mantra of Diligence…US…US…US…"

It was Jackalman who valued this principle the most. He had always been a cowardly and wayward Mutant, and he needed diligence to become stronger and more capable as a warrior and a leader to the Jackal Men.

Finally, the three of them returned to the Shrine of Singularity. It asked them what was the Mantra for Singularity.

Together, they said, "UNORUS."

The Shrine began to speak words of wisdom from the Gargoyles' holy book, the Book of Circles. _"All begins with the three principles: Control, Passion and Diligence. From Control springs Direction. From Passion springs Feeling. From Diligence springs Persistence. But these three virtues are no more important than the other five: Control combines with Passion to give Balance. Passion combines with Diligence to yield Achievement. And Diligence joins with Control to provide Precision. The absence of Control, Passion and Diligence is Chaos. Thus the absence of the principles points toward the seventh virtue, Order. The three principles unify to form Singularity. This is the eighth virtue, but it is also the first, because within Singularity can be found all the principles, and thus all the virtues. A circle has no end. It continues forever, with all parts equally important in the success of the whole. Our society is the same. It too continues forever, with all members (and all virtues) equal parts of the unified whole."_

"_Let the Principle of Control guide thy quest. Let the Principle of Passion drive thy quest. Let the Principle of Diligence maintain thy quest. Then thou wilt truly achieve the unified spirit and singularity of purpose that is necessary for success in all endeavors. This is the Gargoyle way; let it be thine as well."_

And that is how it has been since then. The Mutants have now added these virtues to their lifestyle, and each major race stands for a virtue in the Gargish/Mutant Virtues. The Simians live for the virtue of Direction, the Reptilians live for Feeling, and the Jackalmen live for Persistence. The Oxmen live for Balance, the Avians live for Achievement, and the Rhinomen for Precision. The Ratmen live for Order, and the Mutants as a whole live for Singularity, although the Reptilians, Simians, and Jackalmen exemplify it the most.

Vultureman is an example of one who lives for Achievement, because of his expertise with chemistry and technology, and his numerous, ingenious inventions. He wants to achieve power and technological genius as a Mutant of Plun-Darr, and he wants recognition for his accomplishments. And Ratar-O the Ratman desires for strict Order, not only within Mutant society, but also within the ranks of the Mutant military. Perhaps one could say that his ancestor, Ratilla the Terrible, was someone who was too greedy for power, taking the Virtues and the principles too far in his attempt to conquer Thundera, and maybe that was why Jaga the Wise was able to defeat and slay him.

And with this new Virtue system, the Mutant society will exist forever, with all the races, greater and lesser, and all the virtues, equal parts of the unified whole.

_An anonymous Mutant of the Avian race,_ **Plun-Darr HOLOVISION**


End file.
